Gene Test Could Predict Thyroid Cancer Risk

Related Encyclopedia • Adenocarcinoma of the Lung and Brain Metastases • Basal Cell Carcinoma • Bladder Cancer • Bone Cancer More... Related Healthscout Videos Tracking Breast Cancer with Less Pain No More Biopsies? Dealing with Dying 5 Breast Cancer Myths More... Related Animations • Breast Self-Exam Video • Colon Cancer More... Related Drug Information • Epogen • Iressa • Procrit • Topamax More... Related News Articles • Obesity Tied to Common Kidney Cancer • Vitamin D May Lower Colon Cancer Risk • Gene Variation May Speed Recurrence of Stomach Cancer • Combo Therapy Shows Promise Against Brain Cancer More...

Page:  << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3

However, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society, doesn't think that these mutations could be used to predict the risk of thyroid cancer.

"They have demonstrated that there is a relationship between these genes and thyroid cancer," Lichtenfeld said. "But that relationship is not what I would call an absolute relationship, because these mutations were also in a significant percentage of the control patients as well."

One of the mutations was present in 35 percent of the population, and the other mutation was present in more than 50 percent of the population, Lichtenfeld noted. "Yes, these mutations occur with a higher frequency in patients with thyroid cancer compared to controls -- the reality is, they also appear in a fair number of control populations," he said.

Text Continues Below

---

These mutations are not discriminating enough to tell who is really at a higher risk of developing thyroid cancer, Lichtenfeld noted.

More information

For more on thyroid cancer, visit the American Cancer Society.

Page:  << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3